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Welcome to Molossia

SOME PEOPLE BUILD model airplanes
or furniture as a hobby. Kevin Baugh built
a country. Not as a political statement or
social protest, but simply for fun. But the
Nevada Costco member, officially known
as His Excellency President Kevin Baugh
of the Republic of Molossia (molossia.
org), thinks it is more like a vocation
since it takes up a lot of his, and the first
lady’s, time.

A micronation—sometimes referred
to as a model country—Molossia is located
inside the state of Nevada near Reno. It
was originally founded on May ;;, ;;;;,
as the Grand Republic of Vuldstein, after
Baugh and his high school friend, James,
saw the ;;;; Peter Sellers movie The
Mouse That Roared, a political satire.

“James was the king. I was the primeminister,” explains Baugh. “After a whilehe went to a different school, but I stayedwith it. Once I obtained property here innorthern Nevada in ;;;;, I changed thename to Molossia, put up the flagpole,raised the flag, and we’ve been goingstrong here ever since.”Wikipedia says there are thousandsof micronations across the globe. “Thereare a wide variety of agendas, if youwanna use the word ‘agenda’—reasons forstarting your own micronation,” explainsBaugh, “and some can be political state-ments. We’re not.”Denizens of Molossia pay U.S. taxesand vote in local and national elec-tions. Everything Baugh says has tongueplanted firmly in cheek.

“We have ;; citizens,” His Excellencyclaims. “Here in the Molossian hometerritory we have a total of seven humanand five dog citizens. Yes, sir, dogs arecitizens. The rest ... are expatriates livingin the U.S., mostly nearby in Nevada andthen over in California. All Molossiansare family members.”Molossia comprises ;;.; acres, “butour home territory is only ;.; acres inthis portion of Nevada,” Baugh says. “Theother two provinces are ; acres in North-ern California and ; acres in SouthernCalifornia. But they are uninhabited.” It’ssmall in size, but large in spirit.

A number of small buildings, including the president’s office, a post office,
a bank and a trading post, dot the main
street. “We have the Tiki Hut Bar and
Grill, and then we also have our customs
shack,” he says. Passports are not needed
to visit, but Baugh will happily stamp
yours if you bring it. Day visitors are welcome but prior arrangements must be
made. A guest house is on his wish list.

As for Costco, Molossia doesn’t have
its own. Baugh says, “We use the one over
the border in the U.S.”—Steve Fisher